Helicopter.



w. B. HARTLEY.-

I HELICOPTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. m4.

1,153,073. A v 'PatentedSept.-7,1915.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'w. B. HARTLEY.

HELICOPTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. l9l4.

Patented 7,1915.

2 SHE HEET 2.

WW Jazzzzmmfizmrzzey 80 driving power.

STATES WILLIAM B. HARTLEY, OF. WATTS, CALIFORNIA.

HELICOPTER To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BKHARTLEY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Watts, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Helicopters, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to means in helicopters or lifting, sustaining and driving propellers for flying machines, the particular object in view being to'provide a propeller which will efficiently sustain the machine in a hovering attitude, and adapt the 5 machine for direct vertical ascent and de;

scent.-

A further object of the invention is to provide a helicopter of increased lifting and sustaining efficiency and which is so constructed as to prevent radial air slippage, as

Well as to effect the compression and reaction of the air in such a way as to utilize the'dynamical reaction of the air to the highest possible degree. a

A stillfurther object of the invention is to provide a propeller which is simple of construction and adapted to be driven at either high or low speed and without the necessity of employing abnormally high The invent on consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying l 85 {drawings in whic h: gure 1 is a view in elevation of a Fi peller embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is also a view in elevation of the propeller looking toward the propeller in a direction lat right angles to the view shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the propeller. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the propeller on the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the propeller on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The propeller comprises a shaft lzwhich carries the propeller proper, said propeller consisting of a pair of diametrically dis- Iposed semi-circular blades 2 and 3 fixed in any suitable manner to the shaft to revolve therewith. Each of said bladesis of spiral contour, and has a concaved reaction surface 3, a convex reaction surface 4, an elevated lleading edge 5, and a depressed trail edge 6, the leading edge of each blade terminat-- Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Sept; '7, 1915.

Application filed July 24, 1914. Serial No. 852,944.

ing above and in rear of the trailing-edge of the other blade Each blade is provided wlth a peripheral flange 7, preferably depending therefrom at right angles thereto, and of maJor depth at the leading edge of from which point vto the trailing edge of theblade the flange is of uniform depth. Disposed beneath the leading portion of each blade is a sector'shaped vane 8, which is attached at its base or wider edge to the deepened forward portionof the flange 7 the blade, and thence gradually decreasing j in depth. to a point about one-third of the I clrcumferential dimensions of the blade,

and at its inner reduced edge or apex to'the shaft 1, said vane being thus disposed at an angle to the leading portion of the blade so as to form a flue or channel 9 which is widest at its open end and is thence gradually contracted both cir'cumferentially and radially, the flue, or channel being thus constricted at its discharge point which terminates about in'line withvthe vertical plane of intersection of the elevated leading and depressed trail portions of the blade.

upon a correspondingly shaped compressed body of air, as will-be readily understood. It is evident that as the body of air is acted upon by the elevated leading portion of each blade it is compressed and exerts its lifting impulse, the downward trend of air on its rebound causes it to strike and slide along the depressed trail portion of the blade, by which a secondary lifting impulse is secured and the period of sustaining or lifting travel of the blade upon the body of compressed air prolonged, with a resultant greater efiiciency of lifting action. Itv

will also be evident that the acting force of each blade upon the compressed air is in two directions, first vertical to give a lifting impulse, and second at an angle to the vertical to give both a lifting impulse and a forward driving or propelling effect. By rotating the propeller at different speeds the machine may be caused to travel directly upbody of air beneath the blade while it is being compressed by the blade and exerts its reactive impulse thereon, to prevent the body of compressed air from prematurely flying off at a tangent whereby the full lifting impulse of the air is utilized and the power of the propeller correspondingly increased. The function of the vane is not only to provide the gathering channel, whereby the air is retained while being compressed, but also to act as a supplementary lifting surface, and to form with the deepened portion of the flange 7 a channel which by reason of its circumferential and radial contraction effects a higher degree of compression of the air than would otherwise be possible'an'd the release of the compressed air afterit s force isfully utilized at a tangent to that to which it would normally take,

so that the air in expanding and tending todischarge tangentially outward by centrifugal force will have substantially double the ordinary lifting effect and power. 6

A propeller thus constructed is designed to utilize different forces of the air due to compression and other causes in the most eflicient manner to secure lifting and driving effects, by which a propeller of great power is produced, and one which will have a powerful lifting, sustaining and driving action without the necessity of employing an abnormally powerful driving plant to operate it, since it prevents the waste of lifting, sustaining, driving powers usually lost by slippage and at the same time attains greater efliciency in these operations as a result of its peculiar action upon the air.

'I claim y y A propeller comprising a shaft, diametrically disposed spiral blades carried by the shaft, each of said blades having an elevated leading edge and a depressed trail edge, a flange depending from the peripheral ,edge of each blade and of major depth along the leading portion thereof, and a vane extending beneath the leading portion of each blade and between the flange and shaft, said vane forming with the leading portion of the blade a circumferentially and radially flaring gathering channel. a

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence'of two witnesses;

' WILLIAM B; HARTLEY. Witnesses:

' PEEBLES SHoAFF,

DELL F. SHOAFF. 

